Articulation devices for vehicle boot covers



May 5, 1964 L. PERAS ARTICULATION DEVICES FOR VEl-IICLE BOOT COVERS Filed May 25, 1961 Am)! V5 United States Patent 3,131,423 ARTICULATION DEVICES FOR VEHICLE BOOT COVERS Lucien Pras, Billancourt, France, assignor to Regie Nationale des Usines Renault, Billancourt, France Filed May 25, 1961, Ser. No. 112,714 Claims priority, application France June 22, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. 16128.1)

The invention relates to hoods or covers of luggage boots, more particularly applicable to automobile vehicles, and concerns an articulation device for these covers, which permits easy opening and closing together with a secure fixing in the open and closed positions.

In the accompanying drawings, there has been shown one form of construction of an articulation device for a boot cover in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the general arrangement of the device seen in elevation.

FIG. 2 shows the same arrangement seen partially in horizontal cross-section taken along the line a-a of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the articulations and of the plate taken along the line c-c of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the articulation support and especially of its fixation on the cross-brace of the boot cover;

FIG. 5 is a profile view of the same member;

FIG. 6 shows a detail of a rack with slots, taken along the line b--b, intended to vary the tension of the locking spring Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that onthe fixed vertical wall of the boot, there is bolted a plate 4 which serves as a support for the articulation device, as will be explained in more detail later. This plate is fixed by means of bolts 7 and is supported directly on the steel casing of the boot,

which is reinforced by means of a stiffening plate 5 (FIG.

2). The plate 4 has the shape indicated in cross-section in FIG. 2.

In addition, on the cover 1 of the boot is welded a cross-brace 2 on which the support 3 is fixed by means of bolts or screws, this support carrying the articulation rods, the adjustment of which is provided by the elongated slots 3 and 3 provided in the said support 3 (see FIG. 5).

Between the two members 3 and 4 are arranged the coupling elements which comprise a lower coupling rod 6 and an upper coupling rod 9. The rod 9 may be in one piece or may be formed by two twin end-plates; the lower rod 6 is composed of two side-plates 6 and 6 as clearly shown in FIG. 2.

The rod 6 is pivoted on the one hand on the supporting plate 4 by means of a pin 12, and on the articulation support of the cover by means of a pivot-pin 11. It further comprises a secondary articulation 17 on which is mounted between the two side-plates 6 and 6 a stop-rod 10 for the cover, this stop-rod being composed in turn of two side-plates 10 and 10 located on each side of the central plane of the support (see FIG. 2). Between these two side-plates 10 and 10 is mounted a roller 14, the function of which will be explained below.

This stop-rod 10 for the cover is provided at 10 with a supporting face which receives the extremity of a spring 15 wound about the shaft 17, the other extremity resting in one of the slots 16 of the member 6 (see FIG. 6).

It will be observed that the plate 4 is provided with a notch 4 in which the roller 14 is adapted to engage; similarly, the plate 4 also has a wide notch 4 in which the roller 14 is engaged in the closed position of the cover.

It is clear that the side-plates 10 and 10 of the stoprod can be joined together by the stop-plate 10 of the spring 15.

The parts drawn in chain-dotted lines in the drawing show the positions of the articulation members with the cover open, the parts drawn in full lines showing the Same members with the cover closed.

The cover 1 which closes the boot pivots about an ideal horizontal axis indicated at 0 in FIG. 1.

When the cover is closed and held locked by a system of known type, the roller 14 is located in the notch 4 the tension spring 15 applying its reaction on the stop-plate 10 so that the stop-rod cannot supply suflicient power for lifting the cover independently of any action of the user; the shape of the notch 4 is designed to this end. This notch 4 has for its main object to prevent movement of the front of the cover caused by jolts and vibration.

On the other hand, if the cover is lifted up by hand or by means of a handle, the cover tends to pivot about the axis 0. The support 3, driven in rotation by this movement, also rotates the two rods 6 and 9 about their respective pivotal axes 12 and 18; the articulation 17 drives the stop-rod 10 and the roller 14 moves in the required direction over the profile of the member 4, so that after a sufficient distance of travel, the roller becomes engaged in the notch 4 At this moment, the rods 6 and 9 occupy the respective positions 6 and 9 the pivotal support 3 of the cover coming into the position 3 The return of the cover to a horizontal position is prevented by the notch 4 of the member 4 which retains the roller 14 at 14 and by the edge of the spring which, by its extremity 15 locks the rod 10 in the position 10 and the roller 14 in the notch 4 In order to bring back the cover into the horizontal position, that is to say to close it, it is only necessary to apply a moderate pressure to it so that the reaction of the spring 15 may be overcome. The roller 14 of the member 10 is disengaged from notch 4 of the plate 4 and rolls on the rounded portion of the plate between the notches 4 and 4 Thus the cover comes down by itself, its movement being braked in the downward direction only by the rolling friction of the roller 14 on the profile of the plate 4.

All the parts of the system may be suitably ribbed or reinforced either by angular pieces or by any method of folding at the corners, which do not modify the principle of the device.

In view of the clearances provided for the rods and the articulations, and also of the possibilities of adjustment, it is not necessary that the figure formed by the four articulation points of the lower and upper rods should be a parallelogram.

However, the construction of the lower rod 6 in the form of two side-plates 6 and 6 between the moving support 3 and the fixed support 4 ensures a certain lateral rigidity of the system.

In addition, the space between the two parts which form the rod 6 provides a housing, on the one hand for the stop-rod 10 of the cover and on the other hand for the spring 15, without these members being liable to damage by objects placed in the boot,

It is quite clear that the whole articulation system which forms the object of the invention may be made-up of one or two symmetrical devices mounted on the side walls of the luggage boot of the vehicle.

I claim:

1. Articulation device for the hood of a trunk of a vehicle comprising a system consisting of two curved connecting rods which form part of a deformable four-sided figure, each rod being pivotally connected at one end to the hood and at the other end to awall of the trunk, a stop arm carried by one of said rods and having a free end, a roller supported on the free end, spring means operatively connected to the opposite end of the stop arm, a

guide plate mounted on the Wall of the trunk and having a pair of spaced notches, said spring means moving said roller into one of the notches in the open position and into the other notch in the closed position of the hood.

2. Articulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting rod carrying the stop arm is formed of two spaced plates having an axle transversely mounted therebetween and on which the stop arm is mounted, said stop arm being formed of two spaced plates having free ends between which the roller is mounted.

3. Articulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein means are provided for adjusting the tension of said spring means. i

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wogaman Jan. 12, 1937 Claud-Mantle Jan. 2, 1940 Bright Mar. 16, 1954 Pollock Oct. 25, 1955 Johnson Nov. 1, 1955 Danser July 1, 1958 Psik Jan. 23, 1962 Faber Nov. 27, 1962 

1. ARTICULATION DEVICE FOR THE HOOD OF A TRUNK OF A VEHICLE COMPRISING A SYSTEM CONSISTING OF TWO CURVED CONNECTING RODS WHICH FORM PART OF A DEFORMABLE FOUR-SIDED FIGURE, EACH ROD BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE HOOD AND AT THE OTHER END TO A WALL OF THE TRUNK, A STOP ARM CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID RODS AND HAVING A FREE END, A ROLLER SUPPORTED ON THE FREE END, SPRING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE STOP ARM, A GUIDE PLATE MOUNTED ON THE WALL OF THE TRUNK AND HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED NOTCHES, SAID SPRING MEANS MOVING SAID ROLLER INTO ONE OF THE NOTCHES IN THE OPEN POSITION AND INTO THE OTHER NOTCH IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF THE HOOD. 